Tina with his Excellency David Johnston, the Governor General of Canada.
Tina Mirembe, biomedical engineering technician, was invited on behalf of the Governor General of Canada, his Excellency David Johnston to participate in the 2012 Canadian Governor General’s Leadership Conference on Leadership and Sustainable Communities.
During the conference, Tina shared her strengths in leadership and community development as part of Canada’s next generation of difference-makers. She had been invited to participate in recognition of her many achievements in bettering the lives of newcomers to Canada through positive integration, and in advancing standards in biomedical engineering in partnership with international healthcare stakeholders.
Tina arrived in Canada from Uganda at the age of twelve. Five years later, she was orphaned when she lost her mother. She says what she learnt from that experience is we are born to be overcomers: it’s how we deal with loss and failure that teaches us who we are. Since Justine had no adult family members in Canada, she and her two younger siblings were taken into the care of BC’s Ministry of Children and Family Development. Inspired by the care given to her family during this experience, she dedicated her professional life to giving back by improving the lives of those in her community and the larger world.
Blending a love and talent for science with a passion for building solutions, Tina embarked on a career as a biomedical engineering technologist. She has become an enthusiastic advocate for this emerging discipline, and works extensively to promote it.
Tina also has a leadership position with the Uganda Cultural Association of British Columbia, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to working with Ugandan-Canadian citizens and other Ugandans residing in British Columbia to ensure full integration and fruitful participation in Canadian society. She also is involved in the Uganda Hearing Health Project, an initiative bringing Canadian physicians and other healthcare professionals to assist those hard of hearing through medical and surgical means. Along with ear surgery, the project has funded and implemented efforts in improving sanitation and access to clean water, as well as “train the trainer” programs supporting local otolaryngologists with knowledge and equipment. Tina’s contributions have focused on the development and expansion of the country’s capacities in biomedical engineering, including advocating for the establishment of Uganda’s inaugural Diploma program in Biomedical Engineering at Kyambogo University in Kampala, Uganda. Tina is planning another volunteer trip to Uganda in 2013.
If you are interested in learning more about the Canadian Governor General’s Leadership Conference and how you can get involved, you can find more information here.